Fostering intercultural connections in Kharkov oblast

Last Thursday our volunteer from the Netherlands, Bart, in cooperation with the Kharkov regional council,went to visit some schools in Kharkov Oblast to talk about his home country. Moreover, the visit was meant to give the students an opportunity to talk with a foreigner, practice their English, and learn about another culture. After the presentations, the students could ask questions about the Netherlands. At first they were a bit reluctant due to the language barrier, but as they became more comfortable, an English/Russian dialogue started that was undoubtedly both entertaining and informative.

Events such as this are essential to increase the understanding between cultures. These visits fall in line with the goals MultiKultiUA has set for itself (to be found on the ‘main page’). MultiKultiUA stand for exchange, mobility, and communication. These visits are first of all a possibility for exchange and communication. Additionally, they are intrinsically connected with the topic of mobility: as students learn English a new world with new possibilities opens for them. Moreover, it was a learning experience for Bart as well. Bart: ‘During the visit I had an amazing chance to practice my Russian, and by talking Russian I felt like I was giving an example to the students about how learning another language is a great opportunity to get to know other cultures. I chose to do an internship at MultiKultiUA because I wanted to help increase the connection between EU countries like the Netherlands and Ukraine. Going to schools and talking with students is a great way of putting that ambition into practice.’

We at MultiKultiUA consider these visits to be an important contribution to our mission and hope we can have more of them in the future.